Review: 'Mozart & Marie' - Orlando Fringe 2018

In a sometimes ridiculous mix of serious and silly, Marie Antoinette explains the relevance of the women in the life of the great composer Mozart. That sounds so formal, doesn’t it? And really “Mozart and Marie,” from Opera del Sol and VarieTease, is anything but.

The operatic singing is the real deal. But the framework is wobbly. Marie distinguishes herself as queen from Britain’s Elizabeth II with a cheap shot: “I’m a little bit better dressed than the other one.” Yet she speaks with a British accent, not a French one. She does know she’s French, right?

Much of the rest of the show feels similarly slapdash. Jose Navarro plays a not-quite-polished violin solo of Mozart’s famed “Queen of the Night” aria from “Candide,” but when the role is mentioned moments later, no one points out that the audience just heard it.

A long keyboard solo at the top of show is not very interesting to watch – especially when you can’t see the player’s hands at work. If it was a recital, sure, but this is a show, yes?

By the end, when Marie is calling for another strip act – oh yes, among the arias there’s burlesque – it sounds as though it’s only because no one knows what else to do.

Still, the costumes are impressive, and the singing shakes the walls of the Black venue.

A friendly audience of Opera del Sol and VarieTease fans ate it up. But setting aside the singers, the rest of this isn’t ready for prime time.

The Fringe Factor: Even for a first performance, this seemed under-rehearsed. Performers calling for music cues from the stage? Uncertainty about a costume change? Navarro didn’t seem to know where his light would be.

Curtain Call: To use the (British) Queen’s English, one feels a little more time and thought could have gone into this production, but we suppose as frivolities go, one could still have a jolly good time.